Komische Oper Berlin – One of the Highest-profile Opera Houses in the German-speaking World:
The Komische Oper Berlin is one of the three opera houses in Berlin, the other two being the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Located in the heart of Berlin, near the famous boulevard Unter den Linden, the Komische Oper Berlin is one of the highest-profile opera houses in the German-speaking world.
Komische Oper – Brief History
There has been an opera theatre on the Komische Oper’s historic site as early as 1892. Known as the Theater Unter den Linden, it was forced to close a few years later when its directors went bankrupt. In 1898, a successor company, the Metropol-Theater was opened and it became famous for the Metropole Revues right up till the outbreak of World War I. With the decline in popularity of music hall entertainment after the war, the theatre closed again in 1933.
During World War II, the entrance area and ceiling painting were destroyed during Allied bombings, but luckily the lavish auditorium remained intact, and reconstruction began almost immediately.
The present Komische Oper was founded by Walter Felsenstein in 1947. The company specializes in German language productions of opera, operetta and musicals. But don’t worry if you don’t understand German, the Komische Oper Berlin has an automatic multi-lingual translation system in its seating area, a feature which is currently unique amongst German opera houses. Most seats are fitted with a sophisticated display, from which individuals can follow the text in any of several languages – or simply turn off the display.
Modern and Lively
Since its founding the Komische Oper Berlin has stood for modern, lively musical theater and has become one of the most renowned opera houses in Germany. Through the engagement of directors with very different styles, Komische Oper audiences can enjoy a great variety of opera interpretations.
The Komische Oper also has a range of works to get children interested in opera. In 2007, the Komische Oper was voted “opera house of the year”, and its choral soloists were named “opera choir of the year”.
To see what’s on and book tickets at the Komische Oper Berlin, see Here.
The Komische Oper Berlin has six wheelchair-accessible seats in the 6th and 8th rows on each side in the stalls. Wheelchair-users can enter the Komische Oper Berlin via the stage entrance, located between the opera house and the Hotel Westin Grand. From there, the admittance staff will accompany you into the auditorium/the lower foyer.
Address:
Komische Oper Berlin
Behrenstraße 55-57
10117 Berlin
How to Get There:
By Regional trains/ S-Bahn –
Friedrichstraße (RE 1, 2, 7, and RB 14; S 1, 2, 25, 3, 5, 7, 75) /Brandenburger Tor (S 1, 2, 25)
By U-Bahn –
Französische Straße/Stadtmitte (U 6), Stadtmitte/Mohrenstraße (U 2) /Brandenburger Tor (U 55)
By Tram –
Friedrichstraße (M1, 12)
By Bus –
Unter den Linden/ Friedrichstraße (TXL, 100, 147, 200)
10117 Berlin, Germany
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